Disconnect
by xsilver-galaxyx
Summary: Ryan loses the last thing that makes him give a damn.  Ryan/Gloria implied   warning for character death


_A/N: Written for the Kill-a-thon in the LJ community oz_wishing_well_

* * *

She was discovered ten minutes after it happened, lying in a pool of blood. The vials that had been knocked down had smashed and there were small spots on the floor where the blood seemed paler, diluted by the drugs. The ground was littered with bloodied gauze from the doctor's useless attempt to stop the blood flowing. Her eyes were still wide open, and it seemed a lifetime before Sister Pete arrived and thought to close them. She snapped at the nurses surrounding the body, and the doctor who was kneeling in the blood, for not doing their jobs and showing some respect. No one wanted to take charge, to take her position because that would mean that it had happened. Because they were there to help the inmates, they always foolishly felt that they were safer than the guards that frequently clashed with the prisoners and this had viciously proven them wrong. But they had to keep going and act like nothing has happened.

He heard rumours through the day of an incident in the infirmary and knew that it had to be big, since the guards were keeping a very tight lid on it. The guards weren't taking crap from anyone and he saw one of the more easy going ones snap at Rebadow. But it wasn't until Sister Pete called him to her office that he learned what has occurred. He didn't react, but thanked Pete for telling him and asked to return to his pod. She was discovered ten minutes after it happened, but he didn't find out until six hours later.

* * *

McManus took charge of the investigation, not trusting an outsider or one of the governor's cronies to look after one of their own. The murderer was a young white kid who was new to the prison. He killed his girlfriend whilst drink driving and his father's money wasn't enough to keep him out of jail. He attacked her wanting to gain some respect by killing someone, hoping to get enough of a reputation to survive his sentence. But not having the courage to go after one of the prisoners, he went after her, seeing her as an easy mark. He had asked one of the guards to take him to the infirmary complaining of stomach cramps and waited until everyone was busy before following her into one of the supply rooms with a pair of scissors that had carelessly been left lying on a trolley.

He had started bragging that he was responsible as soon as the news broke but it didn't take long for him to realise the mistake he had made. It hadn't work and he became the target of every group in Oz, for going after a woman and for going after a doctor. Nobody was surprised when he was found dead less than a week later. It was obvious to everyone in Oz that Ryan was responsible and the family had tried to demand on inquiry, threatening to go the media. But there was no evidence beyond the brutally tortured and mutilated body that was found in a stairwell.

* * *

The memorial service was held five days later, the day after her funeral. Her family and friends had been invited but none of them had wanted to go to the place that had caused her so much heartache. Instead Father Mukada had lead the service and Pete, McManus and one of the nurses spoke about what she meant to them and how she had always seen the inmates as patients first, not prisoners. The prisoners were unusually subdued throughout the service and afterwards Poet could be heard reciting to a group, whilst Busmalis wiped a tear from his eye.

Ryan had not attended. He remained in his pod, twisting the ring of Cyril's hair around his finger. The ring was starting to look well worn and the last few hairs finally gave whilst the entire complex was observing a minute's silence. Ryan broke down, heaving sobs that gave ways to screams as he trashed the pod, smashing the mirror, upending the bed and tearing the sheets. By the time the guards arrived Ryan was sitting calmly in the destroyed pod, like nothing had ever happened.

* * *

Ryan had immediately stopped working in the infirmary and Pete warned McManus against forcing him to return. McManus offered job after job, trying to get some sign of interest from Ryan. He said that as long as he didn't have to go near the infirmary he didn't care what sort of work he did. He was put on the cleaning crew, sweeping out stairwells and corridors. Hoping to pull Ryan out of his depression and get involved in prison life again McManus paired him with a new inmate but after Ryan left his buddy to the mercies of the bikers McManus realised that Ryan wasn't ever going to look out for anyone else. After discussions with Sister Pete and the warden, he also decided that it was probably safer for everyone if Ryan didn't share a pod with another inmate.

One month after it happened Sister Pete had called him into her office, concerned about the number of fights he had been starting. At least four other inmates had been admitted to the infirmary with injuries caused by Ryan although he never went to the infirmary for treatment, despite his injuries. He had started fights with the Italians, the Latinos and the homeboys and he gained nothing from any of them. It seemed like he was starting fights with anyone who even looked at him and whilst he was always coming out on top, he wasn't choosing his fights as carefully as he had previously. She tried to get him to talk about how he had been coping but all she got in return were sarcastic and suggestive responses. When the topics of Seamus and Suzanne were raised, he refused to say anything. Pete wanted him to talk about her but knew that he needed to be the one to raise the topic and to be the first one to say her name, but Ryan ignored all her attempts to move the conversation to that particular topic. An hour after he left her office he had started a fight with a guard and was taken to the hole.

* * *

Five years later the cancer returned. Ryan refused treatment.


End file.
